J. Geils bassist plays the River Club Friday: Still Having Fun

Wednesday

Sep 26, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 26, 2012 at 10:25 PM

Danny Klein, founding member and bass player with the J. Geils Band, will be performing classic J. Geils songs with his band, Danny Klein’s Full House, at 8 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 28) at The River Club Music Hall.

Ruth Thompson

Danny Klein, founding member and bass player with the J. Geils Band, will be performing classic J. Geils songs with his band, Danny Klein’s Full House, at 8 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 28) at The River Club Music Hall.

In a telephone interview earlier this week, Klein said he and his bandmates in the group, DK & Friends, decided to add more Geils songs to their set and the band morphed into what is know Danny Klein’s Full House.

“We got a little tired not playing Geils songs,” he said. “So now we play music pretty close to the way Geils does it, but we add a little twist. Like, if someone wants has an idea for an ending or wants to change things a little, we’ll try it. We’re not trying to cover the songs note for note.”

Klein said the band has been together for about six years, and that they have a good time going out on the road and playing what has been called a celebration of J. Geils music.

“These are excellent local musicians,” Klein said of his band. “They know the songs, they’re Geils fans, and I really enjoy playing with these guys.”

In addition to Klein on bass, the band includes Steve Gouette on guitar, Dave Quintiliani on keys, Jim Taft on drums, Richard “Rosy” Rosenblatt on harmonica, and lead vocalist Artie Eaton.

“These guys bring something special to the music and they all respect the fact that we are doing what we are doing to honor the songs and the original creators,” Klein said. “We are not a tribute band. These guys are amazing musicians and put their own soul into the show. I am playing the music I love and playing with incredible musicians. I am having fun!”

Klein said the band attracts the die-hard J. Geils fans, as well as younger fans that are new to J. Geils music. There are also people who attend shows simply because they are regulars at the particular club, but who end up becoming fans of the music.

The musical lineup goes back to the earlier days of the J. Geils Band - with songs from the mid 1970s such as “Give it to Me,” and “Musta Got Lost” – to their mainstream hits including “One Last Kiss,” “Love Stinks,” and “Centerfold”; the latter making it to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in the early 1980s and staying there for six weeks.

“I really can’t pin down a crowd favorite,” Klein said of the songs. “We play a lot of Geils stuff and everyone has a different favorite.”

With the success of the J. Geils Band in the late 1970s and early 1980s, one would think Klein would be lounging on a tropical island someplace at this point in his life.

But he said the music keeps him going.

“It keeps me in playing shape,” he said, adding that the members of the band are all younger than him. “And I just like doing it, mostly for fun. I can decide for myself what songs to play; songs that we otherwise might not have played in Geils. Everyone has energy still. It’s good to get up there and just play.”

However, Klein isn’t just celebrating the music of the J. Geils Band, he’s still taking part in it.

He just returned from a 12-gig tour with other original members of the band: Peter Wolf, Magic Dick, and Seth Justman.

Only John “J” Geils has not been onboard.

“We’ve been back together for three or four years now,” Klein said of his fellow Geils members.

In 2010 the band reunited to play ahead of Aerosmith at a sold out Fenway Park.

As for what’s next for the J. Geils Band, Klein said, “We’ll probably go out on the road again in January or February and do another leg of the tour.”

Klein said he was influenced musically “by a lot of the blues bands.”

“If I could make a living doing blues, I would,” he said.

Not having come from a musical family, Klein – a native of the Bronx, New York – said he was inspired by the music he heard on the radio.

“I was heavily influenced by R&B,” he said. “A lot of the stuff from the 60s and Motown.”

And while the J. Geils Band once dominated the Boston music scene, Klein said things have changed a lot over the past few decades.

“It’s a lot harder to play a gig now,” he said. “A lot of the clubs are closing. The smaller clubs pay very little money. You can play, but you really can’t make a living at it.”

There is also the Internet, he said, which offers different options for musicians to get their music out.

“If you really know what you’re looking for, or if you’re advertising where you’re at and how you can be found, YouTube and the Internet can be a great tool,” he said. “But I don’t think there is enough musical organization on the Internet.”

Klein said Danny Klein’s Full House would continue to play at clubs and smaller venues than what he was perhaps used to as a member of the J. Geils Band, but he likes it that way.

“It brings the music closer to the audience you’re playing for,” he said. “I think people will have a good time and enjoy the music. Come down and check us out.”

Danny Klein’s Full House will be performing at The River Club Music Hall, 78 Border Street, Scituate at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28.

Tickets are $15. For ticket information call 339-236-6786 or visit the Club’s website at www.theriverclubmusichall.com

For more information on Danny Klein’s Full House visit www.dannykleinsfullhouse.com